T'puram: Biometric system to help slum rehab

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Beneficiary selection in the next phase of the slum rehabilitation programme at Karimadom colony would hopefully be less tiresome for the City Corporation. The local body is planning to carry out biometric identification of beneficiaries to avoid controversies, which had affected the first two phases of the project in Karimadom.

The slum rehabilitation project under the Basic Service to Urban Poor (BSUP) project at Karimadom aims to rehabilitate 560 families. In the first phase, 80 flats were handed over. In the second phase, another 20 flats were handed over, but this has been caught in a row between the colony inmates and is pending before the High Court.

The families who were allotted houses are still staying in the community hall in the colony. The construction of another 40 flats is moving towards completion, which would wind up the second phase. In both the phases, photo identification of the beneficiaries was carried out. But disputes erupted when some of the beneficiaries passed away during the period. Kin staking claim to the flats, trying to sell them outside, residents trying to sneak into both lists, allegations of one family usurping more than two flats - all these had marred the rehabilitation process. And mere photo identification came to no help with lots of alleged tampering taking place in the beneficiary list. ‘’We are planning to make the next phase more systematic. Biometric identification would help create a solid database of beneficiaries who are giving away their land for new flats. This would bring down the conflicts,’’ said Palayam Rajan, Welfare Standing Committee Chairman.  To continue with the third phase, which includes another 400 plus beneficiaries, the residents have to move out and hand over the land to the construction agency, COSTFORD. The Corporation had called a meeting of the beneficiaries for three days in a row last week and spoke to them at length on the project, its various steps, how and to what extent their cooperation would matter in the project.  A core committee with Deputy Mayor, Welfare Committee chairperson and project officials has been created to monitor the many ongoing projects of the Corporation. This committee has been considering the use of biometric facility in the next phase for slum rehabilitation. However, the modalities are yet to be worked out, officials said.